The Book of Pokemon
by Dusk Dreaming
Summary: Ancient Pokemon creation myths and legends, translated from Old Kantian, with notes and commentary by Professor Obstacle. AU
1. Genesis

**I.** In the beginning, there was neither light nor darkness; matter there was not, nor was there energy. Only the Void was.

**II.** And within the Void was the Primal Egg.

**III.** And the Primal Egg hatched, and brought forth the Original One.

**IV.** And the Original One dwelt in the Void for untold aeons; and in the nothingness He grew lonely.

**V.** And the Original One said, Let there be existence: and a universe was born in the thousand arms of the Original One. And within the universe there was neither movement nor life, nor was there substance.

**VI.** And the Original One said, Let there be dimensions, and let them be Time and Space: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Dialga and Palkia.

**VII.** And when Dialga entered the universe, the flow of Time entered with him, so that the universe now had a beginning and an end. And unto Dialga was given dominion over past, present and future.

**VIII.** And when Palkia entered the universe, the fabric of space entered with him, so that the universe now had an upper and lower, an inner and outer, a centre and boundary. And unto Palkia was given dominion over width, breadth and length.

**IX.** And the Original One said, Let there substance, and let it be composed of Matter and Antimatter: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Giratina.

**X.** And when Giratina entered the universe, Matter and Antimatter entered with him, so that the universe was filled with innumerable particles of each and every element. And unto Giratina was given dominion over creation and destruction.

**XI.** And the Original One said, Let there be Energy, and let there be absence of Energy, which is entropy: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Reshikrom and Kyurem.

**XII.** And where Reshikrom entered the universe, the universe was filled with Energy and motion; but where Kyurem entered the universe, it became dead and frozen.

**XIII.** And the Original One said, Let the Energy be divided into two kinds, and let them be positive and negative, yin and yang: and Reshikrom was cleft in twain, and he became Reshiram and Zekrom. And unto Reshiram was given dominion over Truth, whilst unto Zekrom was given dominion over Ideals.

**XIV.** And the Original One did stretch forth His thousand hands within the new universe ordered by space-time and filled with energy and matter, saying, Let there be a billion galaxies, and let each one be filled with a billion stars to illuminate the darkness of space.

**XV.** And let each star be attended by planets of every hue, and let the deep darkness twixt the galaxies be split by the radiance of comets: and it was so.

**XVI.** And in this task of creation the Original One was assisted by Giratina, his most faithful servant and helper.

**XVII.** And the Original One said, Let there be a World, and let it be of Land and Water: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Groudon and Kyogre.

**XVIII.** And where Groudon moved upon the face of the World, there appeared earth, rock, mountains, hills, sand and stone. And where Kyogre moved upon the face of the World, there appeared oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and streams.

**XIX.** And unto Groudon was given dominion over the Land: the crust that is stable, the rending quake, the bursting volcano, the tall mountains, the soft sands, the deep mines bearing metals and precious stones. And after he caused the Land to come into being, he sank beneath the ground to slumber in the bosom of the Earth; and in his dreams he walked with the Original One.

**XX.** And unto Kyogre was given dominion of the Waters: the gentle waves, the raging tsunami, the deep-sea current, the ebbing and rising tide. And after he caused the Waters to come into being, he sank beneath the waves to slumber deep in the heart of the Ocean; and in his dreams he swam with the Original One.

**XXI.** And Groudon and Kyogre were to sleep until the Day of Judgement, on which they would awaken to destroy the world, which they had made.

**XXII.** And the Original One said, Let there be Sky: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Rayquaza.

**XXIII. **And Rayquaza flew over the land and the sea, and where he flew the Atmosphere came into being.

**XXIV. **And unto Rayquaza was given dominion over the Heavens. And after he caused the Sky to come into existence, he flew high above the land and sea, encircling the Earth in his wake, and he guarded the boundary between the Sky and outer space forevermore.

**XXV. **And the Original One said, Let the land be arranged into positions suitable for various climates: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Regigigas.

**XXVI. **And Regigigas was endowed with great strength; and by heaving on the bones of the Earth, he moved the land masses into positions according to the design of the Original One. And after this task, he went to a secret place and there he fell into a slumber.

**XXVII. **And the Original One said, Let there light and darkness, and let the time of light be called Day, and let the time of darkness be called Night; and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Ho-oh and Lugia.

**XXVIII. **And Ho-oh rose into the sky on his seven-coloured wings, and wherever he flew the Earth was illuminated by glorious light; and unto him was given dominion over Day, light, the Sun, fire and rebirth.

**XXIX. **And Lugia rose into the sky on his silver wings, and wherever he flew the Earth was shrouded in impenetrable shadow; and at last he descended to the depths of the ocean. And unto him was given dominion over Night, darkness, the Moon, water and death.

**XXX. **And the Original One said, Let there be seasons, and let them be Winter, Spring and Summer: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres.

**XXXI. **And Articuno flew over the World, and wherever he passed snow fell, blizzards raged, ice crystallised and the land froze. And at last he went to dwell in the far north, where the frost lives forever; and he was Lord of Winter.

**XXXII. **And Zapdos flew over the World, and wherever he passed storms brewed, thunder crashed, lightning bolts fell and gales scoured the land. And at last he went to dwell in the far east, where the tempest lives forever; and he was Lord of Spring.

**XXXIII. **And Moltres flew over the world, and wherever he passed sweltering winds blew, sunlight blazed, flames awoke and heat pressed down upon the land. And at last he went to dwell in the far south, where the fire lives forever; and he was Lord of Summer.

**XXXIV. **And the Original One said, Let there be winds and weather to govern the cycles of Nature, and let the Earth bring forth its bounty: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus.

**XXXV. **And where Tornadus and Thundurus moved over the World storms broke, gales unleashed, tempests blossomed and rains fell.

**XXXVI. **And unto Tornadus was given dominion over the winds; and unto Thundurus was given dominion over the storm.

**XXXVII. **And where Landorus moved over the World the land was replenished, the soil renewed, and the fertility of the Earth was greatly increased, and many crops and herbs good for living beings flourished in the land; and unto Landorus was given dominion over the Earth's bounty.

**XXXVIII. **And the Original One said, Let there be plants and green things to cloak the land: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Celebi.

**XXXIX. **And where Celebi moved over the land, many plants sprouted bearing grasses, flowers, herbs, trees, ferns, mosses, vines, creepers, and others after their kind; and the land was filled with greenery and lush vegetation, and it was pleasing to the eye and soothing to the body.

**XXXX. **And unto Celebi was given dominion over the forests and vegetation.

**XXXXI. **And the Original One said, Let there be purity to restore the substance of Nature and guard it from pollution: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Shaymin.

**XXXXII. **And where Shaymin walked the earth, the land was purified of toxins and plants grew in abundance; and where Shaymin flew the skies, the atmosphere was purified of toxins and the air was sweet.

**XXXXIII. **And unto Shaymin was given dominion over the purity of nature, to guard it from corruption and degradation.

**XXXIV. **And the Original One said, let the light of the Moon be divided into phases to regulate the passing of the tides and the cycles of Night, and let the phases be the New, the Crescent, the Half, the Gibbous, the Full, both waxing and waning: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Cresselia and Darkrai.

**XXXXV. **And as the balance of Cresselia and Darkrai's power waxed and waned, so too the Moon waxed and waned; and unto Cresselia was given dominion over the Full, Gibbous, Half and Crescent moons, and unto Darkrai was given dominion over the New moon.

**XXXXVI. **And the Original One looked upon the World and saw that it was ready for the creation of Life.

**XXXXVII. **And the Original One said, Let Us make Earthly Beings in Our image, and let them be endowed with Knowledge, Emotion and Will, as are We: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf.

**XXXVIII.** And these three went to a secret lake and there fell into a slumber; but as they dreamed, their spirits awoke and roamed the Earth, and by their power, the earthly beings would be endowed with souls.

**XXXXIX. **And the Original One said, let there be Life: and from the wheels of the Original One came forth the first earthly being; and the Original One looked upon His creation, and He saw that it was good.

**XXXXX. **And the Original One said unto his creation: "From Matter We created thee, from Energy We created thee, and for the World We created thee; therefore shalt thy name be MEW."

**XXXXXI. **And into the World came Mew, that it would be his abode forevermore.

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><p><span>Introduction<span>

This is the first chapter of a new translation I am preparing of the holy texts of the Arcites. I believe that this edition, which draws upon all the latest scholarship, including linguistic analysis, archaeology, and newly discovered copies of early Arcite writings (such as the Seafoam Scrolls, the Pewter Tablets and the Cinnabar Codex) will be the most complete, thorough, authoritative and up-to-date collection of Arcite scriptures available.

I am greatly indebted to Professor Justin Chan of Bodhi Tree University for his kind help with translating Old Kantian script, as well as to Dr Mahendra Bhatt of Sarasvati College for his encyclopaedic knowledge of Ancient Kantian civilisation. These two gentlemen very kindly read over early copies of this manuscript and offered helpful advice and criticism. Any mistakes that remain are entirely mine.

The aim of this publication is to present some of the earliest examples of Arcite literature to a wide audience. I have endeavoured to make the translation as simple and accessible as possible, without compromising either the accuracy or the poetic nature of the original text. It is my hope that this edition will be of use to religious leaders, historians, academics, students and enquiring members of the general public.

Notes/Commentary:

This is the first part of the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Arcite Canon.

Egg Motif: The story of a primal egg giving rise to the universe appears in many religious traditions around the world. It is found in the earliest writings of the Kantian Canon, although Jin Yoo has convincingly argued that the Egg Motif was not an originally Kantian idea, but was borrowed from the neighbouring Johto civilisation. In some versions the egg is laid by a giant pokemon such as a cosmic psyduck, but in the earliest version, there is no mention of the egg's origin: it merely exists.

Pronouns and Gender: Throughout this translation, masculine pronouns (he, his, him) are used to refer to the Immortals. It should be remembered, however, that Immortals have no gender (with the exception of Latios, Latias, Cresselia and possibly Heatran). The original Kantian text uses a neutral pronoun to refer to all of the Immortals (except those mentioned above). Modern English lacks a neutral pronoun, so masculine pronouns are used by default.

There is some disagreement amongst scholars about whether the Immortals are both male _and_ female, or neither. Muhammad Khan argues that the Original One must be both male and female, because in Genesis He declares, "Let Us make Earthly Beings in Our image". This would seem to imply that earthly beings are imitations of the creator, and therefore if earthly beings have male and female genders, the Creator must possess these attributes also.

However, Tanveer Tadveen contends that the Original One is neither male nor female. He argues that it is wrong to ascribe human traits such as gender to the Original One, because the Original One is beyond all associations and cannot be understood in terms of mortal qualities.

The Original One: an epithet of Arceus. The Kantians believed that the names of Immortals held great sacred power, and for that reason they avoided speaking, writing or reading them except in the most solemn of circumstances. One of the main ways to avoid using the Immortals' names was to refer to them by various titles or epithets. For example, Arceus is referred to as the Original One, the Thousand-Armed One, the Creator, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the Great Wheel, etc.

The names of the other Immortals are not considered as sacred as Arceus', and they are named more frequently (for example, in the above passage, all the other Immortals are called by name). However, in other texts, they are referred to by various epithets also. For example, Dialga is called the Lord of Time or the Diamond King, Moltres is the Summer Lord, the Winged Fire or the Red One, Mewtwo is called the Destroyer, and so on.

Another common method was to write the Immortals' names with the vowels omitted. Thus, the name of Arceus is frequently written as RCS in the texts. Orthodox Arcites still do not speak the name of Arceus.

Thousand Arms: Having one thousand arms is a property associated with Arceus in his Cosmic Forme. In traditional religious iconography, he is usually depicted in his Earthly Forme, in which he appears as a centaur-like being with no arms.

The wheels: Throughout this chapter, the wheels are referred to as the source of Arceus' creative powers. All the lesser Immortals were said to have risen from the wheels of Arceus at his command. The wheel is a potent symbol of creation, destruction, power, time, existence and destiny. It represents the source of Arceus' holy power.

Finally, note that there are many versions of each Kantian text, varying greatly with the time and place in which they were written. The order in which the Immortals are created in this translation of Genesis may contradict the order given in alternate versions. Other details also vary.


	2. Giratina's Pride

_This is the story of how Earthly Beings were created, and how they all dwelt together in harmony until Sin came into the world, when the pure Creation of Arceus was corrupted by the pride and envy of Giratina._

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><p>In the beginning, when Arceus had dwelt for ages in the nothingness of the Void, His heart had grown sick and weary from the non-being around him, and he did desire to make a world of light and life, so that the universe would be filled with joy and praise. And to this end he had fashioned the universe and brought the other Immortals into being, so that they might fulfil His purpose.<p>

Now that purpose was realised, and the world was ready for life. And the firstborn of all earthly beings was Mew, and he was beloved in the eyes of his Creator. For he was the fruition of his Maker's long-held wish, and he was fashioned from the newly-born Earth, and he was to be the forerunner of all life on that planet, though he did not yet know it.

Now when Mew was born, he was as helpless as a babe, floating in a bubble in the womb of the warm sapphire sea. But unlike an ordinary babe, he was imbued with the full power of Arceus, endowed with great strength, intelligence and wisdom. After many months he stirred and opened his eyes, awakening for the first time.

The first thing he did was to explore his undersea abode, and he delighted in the vast blue magnificence of the ocean. After a while, his curiosity drove him to emerge onto the land, and to his amazement, he beheld vast fields of shimmering flowers in blossom, deep forests of emerald green, the bright sun burning in the azure sky, the wind rushing past, the cycles of the moon, and all the other things Arceus had caused to appear in the world.

Mew marvelled at these new sensations, and for many a day he wandered from place to place, eating the sweet fruit and berries that grew from the trees of the forest, sampling the crops that flourished on the land, and taking pleasure from the beauty of his surroundings. And as Mew travelled and grew, he was watched over tenderly by Arceus.

But Arceus was not the only one who watched him.

For Giratina, too, was watching Mew, and jealousy was growing in his heart. In the ages before the world was created, it was Giratina who had worked with Arceus in bringing matter into being, and shaping it into all the elements, compounds and substances necessary for life. And during that time the two Immortals had been close. Now, however, Arceus spent all His time watching over Mew and neglecting His other creations, and Giratina's heart seethed with envy. It seemed to him that Arceus loved Mew more than He loved Giratina, and for that reason Giratina hated Mew and resented Arceus.

Now Arceus perceived that Mew had grown old enough to learn the truth of his existence, for it was his first birthday, and Arceus spoke unto Mew, saying: "O Mew! Hail!"

Mew had never been spoken to by anyone before in his life, and he looked around, much astonished. "Who goeth there?" he asked. "And where art thou, for I cannot see thee?"

"It is I, thy Creator, and I wish to speak with thee. Do not be alarmed; I will appear before thee in a forme thou canst understand."

And Arceus appeared suddenly in his Earthly Forme, which is like unto a centaur, before Mew. Mew was amazed by the splendour and the radiance of this being, which was unlike anything he had seen before.

"Be not afraid, O Mew," said Arceus. "I am Arceus, and thou art beloved in My sight. From matter I created thee, from energy I created thee, and for the world I created thee. Long have I watched thee from afar, for thou art My child."

"O Lord," said Mew. "Was it ye who created this world and placed me within it?"

"Aye. And today is the first anniversary of thy birth, and I am of a mind to give thee a gift. Is there anything which thou desirest?"

Mew considered this, and at last he said, "Food and water I have in abundance. The world is vast and beautiful. There is one lack in my life, which is that I am all alone. There are no other living beings on this Earth, and I am very lonely. Perhaps ye may stay with me and keep me company."

"I may visit thee everyday, but it is not possible that I dwell always in thy company," said Arceus. But He remembered how lonely He had been when he dwelt in the Void, and his heart was moved with pity for Mew. So he said, "Shall I make thee some companions to keep thee company and assist thee in thy tasks?"

"An it please thee," answered Mew. So Arceus caused Mew to fall into a deep sleep, and while Mew was sleeping, Arceus took some of Mew's blood from out of Mew's body.

And one drop of blood He let fall on the grass, saying, Arise: and out of the grass came the bulbasaur, the oddish, the bellsprout, the exeggcute, and others after their kind; and they were the pokemon of Grass.

And one drop of blood He let fall on the flames, saying, Arise: and out of the flames came the charmander, the vulpix, the growlithe, the ponyta, and others after their kind; and they were the pokemon of Fire.

And one drop of blood He let fall in the ocean, saying, Arise: and out of the ocean came the squirtle, the psyduck, the poliwag, the tentacool, and others after their kind; and they were the pokemon of Water.

And one drop of blood He let fall in the undergrowth, saying, Arise: and out of the undergrowth came the caterpie, the weedle, the wurmple, the paras, and others after their kind; and they were the pokemon of Bug.

And one drop of blood He let fly in the wind, saying, Arise: and out of the wind came the pidgey, the spearow, the farfetch'd, the hoothoot, and others after their kind; and they were the pokemon of Flight.

And one drop of blood He let fall on the sand, saying, Arise: and out of the sand came the sandshrew, the diglett, the cubone, the phanpy, and others after their kind; and they were the pokemon of Ground.

And Arceus continued in this manner until He had created all the pokemon of all the seventeen types, all from the blood of Mew.

And after He had created the pokemon, He let a drop of blood fall on the white clay, saying Arise: and out of the clay came the first Man, who was called Shiro, because he was as fair as the morn.

And He let one drop of blood fall on the black clay, saying Arise: and out of the clay came the first Woman, who was called Kuro, because she was as dark as the night.

Then all the blood of Mew was used up. And Arceus caused Mew to awaken, saying, "Behold, I have created for thee companions."

And the heart of Mew was gladdened when he beheld all the companions that Arceus had made for him.

Then Arceus spoke, saying, "O my children, I have prepared a special task for ye. Ye will go forth and live together in harmony, and each day I will teach ye a new thing so that ye may learn something and grow in glory and wisdom. But remember that your brother Mew was the firstborn of My children, and unto Him I gave the full measure of my spirit. And it was for his sake that I created ye, therefore love him dearly and keep him company."

After saying this, Arceus summoned all the Immortal beings together, and commanded them to guard and serve Mew and the other earthly beings. Each of the Immortals swore to do so, but there was one who objected.

"What is this?" said Giratina. "Am I to serve a motley rabble of inferior beings? Wherefore should I swear loyalty to them? For they were born on this speck of mud, this Earth, and I am Giratina, the Lord of Creation and Destruction."

"Thou wilt serve them because I command thee to serve them," said Arceus.

"Nay, but I fear ye have lost your wits," replied Giratina. "I was born when this universe was still young. It was I who brought matter and antimatter into this world, I who made existence possible. And ye would have me serve these earthbound beings who are far beneath me. Your infatuation with Mew has addled your brains, O Lord."

"Thou wert ever proud, Giratina," replied Arceus. "But thou didst never defy me before. Wilt thou not obey me?"

"I will not, an your commands lack rhyme or reason."

Then Arceus waxed wroth, and He said, "So be it! If thou wilt not obey me, then I can no longer trust thee to oversee my Creation. Therefore begone with thee! Depart for the Distortion World and never return! Thou wilt play no part in this universe ever again!"

So saying, Arceus banished Giratina to the Distortion World.

But within the Distortion World, Giratina's anger, hatred and jealousy only grew stronger. He did not forget the grievances that Arceus had done to him, nor did he forget the cause of his suffering. His malice towards Mew and the earthly beings intensified, and he vowed that he would not rest until he had revenged himself upon them. So he turned all his considerable powers towards plotting the destruction of Arceus' earthly children.


End file.
